John McCain and mother's day

Full Coverage of the US Election 2008It is mother's day this weekend in the US of A and that has led to a predictable glut of presidential advertisements featuring mothers and daughters.

Roberta McCain has sung her son's praises

The most endearing is undoubtedly a spot featuring John McCain's mother Roberta recounting the time of his birth (happy hour) and the 27 bottles of scotch that were sent as congratulatory presents to his father, Jack.

"Well, you might as well enjoy it," she recalls telling her husband.

"He was the sweetest, nicest child I've ever known. I think he'll make a wonderful president. Well, he's not perfectÂ…"

It concludes with the legal requirement in all US presidential advertisements: "I'm John McCain and I approved this message", before adding: "And my mom does too."

There is something both engaging and just a tiny bit weird about the whole enterprise. All of which tells you as much about the McCain candidacy as the slightly preachy, slightly needy Chelsea Clinton encomium for her mother does about the former First Lady's character.

Mrs McCain, a redoubtable 96 years of age, is one of the hidden stars of the campaign and was just as popular a draw at the recent black tie bash for the White House correspondents in Washington as celebrities like Pamela Anderson and Donatella Versace.

The McCain camp is highly sensitive to suggestions that at 71 he is too old to be president. They fired off condemnatory memos last week when Barack Obama made a passing reference to the Republican "losing his bearings".

Mrs McCain's energy and plain speaking humour is the best defence against those claims. Last week she was trotting out admiring statements about his eagerness to work 18 hours a day, seven days a week.

Anyone who has spent time on the McCain plane can testify that she is telling the truth. While journalists quickly become tired and exasperated in the bubble, Mr McCain grinds relentlessly on with the energiser bunny credentials that are more usually attributed to Hillary Clinton.